


Climate Change

by yankeetooter



Category: Chernobyl (TV 2019)
Genre: Blanket Fic, Day At The Beach, M/M, Minor Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-23
Updated: 2020-05-24
Packaged: 2021-03-01 17:53:44
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,429
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23901130
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yankeetooter/pseuds/yankeetooter
Summary: Boris and Valery experience various weather types. 👀
Relationships: Valery Legasov/Boris Shcherbina
Comments: 17
Kudos: 30





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I promise this story is more interesting than it sounds! 😄
> 
> It's half way through April, and the year is 1988, but both our Soviet heroes are in better health than in the TV show. Still, the end of April approaches.
> 
> Inspired by some Tumblr musings...

Valery looked out on a frozen landscape. Despite it being mid-April, Moscow had been transformed into a winter wonderland. The only blemish on the pristine landscape was the KGB agent's car sitting across the street as usual.

"I hope you're freezing out there!" Valery muttered angrily to himself. He turned away, his mood soured from a moment before. Like he was going to go anywhere on a night like this! Of course, there had been a time when he would have happily walked with a certain friend, no matter the weather. Rain, snow...or radioactive dust. But those days were long gone and the snowy landscape quickly lost its charm for him, reminding him of happier days as it did.

Valery turned away scant seconds before a tall figure, bundled up against the weather, walked down the street. Between the man's ushanka hat and the long scarf wrapped around his face, no one would have recognized him, the blanketing snow completing the disguise.

Misha sat in his car, shivering slightly, despite running his car's heater from time to time. He barely registered the mysterious figure walking past his car. Just some fool out in this weather for who knew what reason. And why he himself had to be freezing his arse off was anybody's guess! Did Charkov really thing Legasov was going to go out on a night like this? Still, orders were orders.

Valery was just thinking of making a cup of tea to try and forget his melancholy when there was a sharp, but quick, rap at the door. Who could it be? His neighbor generally went to bed early and would have turned in some time ago. Were they coming to question him again? On a night like this?

He opened the door and was faced with a tall imposing figure. Valery gulped at the sight. Were they planning to drag him somewhere and shoot him? The man started unwinding the long scarf and Valery gasped. He practically launched himself through the air to barrel into Boris' arms.

Boris wrapped his arms around his friend, chuckling at Valery's shocked surprise. "Okay, okay, how about you let me in the door before someone sees. And maybe I could get out of my coat?"

Valery backed away sheepishly, barely containing a huge grin. The next moment his brow furrowed. "But, Boris! There's an agent parked right across the street!"

Boris laughed. "On a night like this, Valera, nobody would recognize me unless they got right up on me, and the scarf and hat helped too!" At the mention of his hat, he removed it and playfully shook its burden of snow over Valery, who protested even while he laughed happily.

"I thought of this idea six weeks ago," Boris explained, "but then the weather's been so mild. I was going crazy waiting for the weather to turn bad. In all my years, the winters in Moscow have been frigid and snow-filled, and of course, just this once, it hardly snows!"

Valery stepped back, drinking in the sight of his friend. He had honestly thought he'd never see him again. "It's been a year, Borja!"

Boris nodded solemnly. "Since the trial. And everyday I've tried to figure out how to come see you without endangering you further. You don't know how much I've missed you!"

Valery had to look down to hide the tears coming to his eyes. "Borja...I...I had about given up. I missed you so badly!" Suddenly he could hold back his tears no longer and a muffled sob escaped him.

Boris was there immediately, holding him tightly in his embrace. "I'm sorry, Valera! I would have traded places with you that day for anything! But I'm here now...and look, I brought you something!"

Between Boris' strong arms around him and the promise of a gift, Valery managed a feeble smile, blinking away the last few tears. "You...you brought something for me, Borja? But all I needed is you being there in front of me!"

"Oh, well, in that case, I'll return it," Boris replied, nonplussed. He knew Valery never refused a gift, quite the opposite actually. Valery was like an excited schoolboy when presented with a present.

"No, no," Valery hurried to say. "I mean, you went to the trouble and all. But wherever is it?"

Boris smiled and removed a flattish package from inside his jacket, barely having time to hand it over before Valery snatched it excitedly.

"Oh, Borja, it's beautiful, and so warm!" Removing the brown wrapping paper had revealed a brightly colored fleece blanket, which Valery hugged to himself happily.

"I remember you telling me how drafty and damp your apartment gets in the winter, especially in weather like this. Open it up...it's quite big, so you can wrap up in it."

A sly smile came over Valery's face. "It's quite big, Boris? Is it big enough for two?"

"I was hoping we could run some sort of, er, scientific experiment to test that out, Valera." A glint shone in Boris' eyes. "But I'll have to leave first thing in the morning. The weather's supposed to break by noon." He chuckled as Valery grabbed his arm and tugged him towards the bedroom.

\------------------------

Valery yawned and rolled over, peering at the time. 9:00 a.m.! Wrapped up in his new warm blanket, he had slept much later than usual. Not that Boris and he hadn't generated their own heat until all hours of the night, he thought, smiling to himself at the memory.

Boris! He rolled back over to the other side of the bed, but it was empty, except for a note.

_Sorry, Valera. I was going to wake you, but you were sleeping so soundly. Maybe I'll get another chance to come and see you again soon, at least if the weather cooperates! In the meanwhile, think of me when you wrap your new blanket around you, and know that I'll be thinking of you!_

_B_

Valery sighed happily. What a night! And how wonderful to see Boris again after nearly a year! Suddenly, things no longer seemed so grim. Suddenly, Valery Legasov had a reason to go on living.

Upon rising, Valery saw that the sun was already peeking out, starting to melt the snow on the roads and sidewalk. _Goodness! It's a good thing Boris left as early as he did!_

Valery found himself whistling while he prepared his breakfast. He hadn't felt this happy in a long time! As the snow continued to melt quickly, he decided he would walk to his favorite bookstore a few blocks away. There was a book he'd been wanting to buy. He could get some fresh air while he was at it.

A short while later, he left his apartment, not realizing that he still had a big smile plastered on his face.

\----------------

"What's gotten into him?" Misha wondered out loud, grouchy from a long, cold night spent in his car. "Why's he smiling like that?" Watching Legasov walk past the corner stand where he typically bought his cigarettes and newspaper, he decided he had better go search Legasov's apartment. Something had happened since yesterday and he was determined to find out. And if Legasov should return before he was done? Well, maybe he would have a little extra "fun".

Misha rifled through Legasov's mail and papers but found nothing suspicious. He made a halfhearted attempt to put things back where they had been, but honestly, who could tell? The man's apartment was so cluttered, he probably wouldn't even notice if anything was out of place.

Saving the bedroom for last, Misha hesitated on his way back out to the main room. A large fleece blanket lay on the bed, bringing back memories of Misha's cold night in his car. As it seemed like he wasn't going to be here when Legasov returned, he decided to exact his revenge by stealing the blanket. And then maybe he could pass the night in relative warmth for once.

\------------------

Valery whiled away the afternoon in the bookstore, barely noticing the clouds had rolled in again, thicker than ever. Not until he was paying the clerk for his latest acquisition did he become aware of the changing weather. Even then he might have paid it no mind except the old man taking his money warned him to get home as soon as possible. "For the weather's supposed to turn bad again tonight, apparently. They say a worse storm than last night's is coming up from the south."

Valery wasted no time walking back to his apartment. He had to keep telling himself not to get his hopes up. After all, he doubted Boris would come out a second night in a row, even if the weather was going to be accommodating.

He entered his home, none the wiser that there had been an intruder not more than an hour before. Shivering at the sudden chill, he decided to make a cup of tea, wrap up in his blanket and read his new book. While the tea kettle was heating up, he couldn't resist starting to read. Soon, deeply engrossed, he wandered absentmindedly into his bedroom. Looking up, he thought, "Now why did I come in here again?"

Suddenly, laughing at himself, he remembered. The blanket! Except...it wasn't where it should be, on the bed. "Oh, of course, I must have brought it out in the sitting room while I ate breakfast!" But when he went back out to the main room, it wasn't there either. 

"Now what in the world have I done with it?" But just then, the tea kettle whistled and he had to go start the tea steeping. Surely it had just fallen under the bed! That was it! Or maybe Sasha had dragged it off somewhere to snuggle in it. She was always doing that sort of thing.

Two hours later, the tea now ruined where it sat unpoured in the kettle, Valery was still frantically turning his place upside down, looking for Boris' precious gift. How could he have lost it already? And what would Boris say? He knew he hadn't taken it with him to the bookstore, but a blanket didn't just disappear! New book and tea forgotten, he sank onto the couch, nearly in tears. Until he saw Boris again, that blanket was all he had to remember him by, and now it was gone.

\--------------------

2:00 a.m., and the snow was coming down hard enough that visibility was down to barely ten feet. Once again, a tall, warmly clad figure walked down the street, his long strides making easy work of the growing drifts of snow.

Tonight was the night. Boris had been planning this out for a while, but now his mind was made up. _Borja...I...I had about given up._ Those words had haunted him all day. And when he heard of the surprise storm on the way, he left work early to prepare. He absolutely refused to give Valery up to despair, and this storm might be the last chance for another year.

Boris walked by a parked car, where a man lay in the back seat. _Poor soul, sleeping in his car on a night like this! What was wrong with people anyway?_

Suddenly he stopped short, a snarl on his face. There could be no mistaking the brightly colored blanket the man was wrapped in. And the babushka who had sold it to him had told him that she had only made the one blanket with those colors and pattern.

Losing all sense of caution, Boris smashed his fist through the side window of the man's car, even as he did so recognizing the KGB agent from Charkov's office a few months back. How dare he!

Before Misha had time to even come fully awake, Boris had grabbed him by the coat lapels and pulled him out the car window. He smashed his fist into Misha's face, breaking his nose, then slammed his head a few times into the brick wall along the sidewalk. _There! He'll be out for at least a few hours! And if he freezes to death? Well, too bad!_

Blood still boiling, Boris reached into the agent's car and removed the blanket. He hurried across the street to Valery's apartment.

In the middle of Valery's baffled contemplation over what had become of his blanket, there was a knock at the door. Leaping up in hope, Valery suddenly blanched at the thought of telling Boris (if it was even him) about the lost blanket. He could almost hear Boris' exasperated tone.

 _Honestly, Valera, it's been less than a day. How could you lose my gift to you already?_ He tried to think of a credible excuse even as he walked to the door, but his mind was blank. Of course Boris would forgive him, maybe tease him a little bit about his absentmindedness, but Valery knew Boris would be a little hurt all the same.

Once again, an unwinding scarf revealed Valery's love standing before him. But before Boris could get a word out, Valery was blurting out his confession, practically begging with his eyes for Boris to forgive him.

Boris shook his head to try and stop Valery's apology, but when Valery persisted, he pulled the blanket out from inside his coat, causing Valery to gasp. "Valera, it seems you had a visitor sometime today. I found this on a KGB agent parked across the street."

Valery gaped. "But, but, how did you get it back? Boris, you didn't let him know who you were, did you?"

Boris smiled grimly. "The only part of me he became acquainted with was my fist. But never mind, we need to get you packed."

Even as Valery was being propelled to his bedroom by Boris, he asked, "Packed? Why am I packing?"

"Because we're leaving Valera."

"Leaving? To go where?"

"We're leaving the country Valera...and we're not coming back."

\------------------

Under Boris' strict orders, Valery rushed to grab the essentials. Sasha had to be put in her carrier, along with some food. Fortunately, she was half asleep and didn't put up much in the way of a protest. To keep her warm, Boris suggested wrapping the blanket around her carrier. 

As Valery hurried to do so, Boris turned to Valery's chest of drawers. He had told Valery (who, in typical fashion, had not stopped asking questions the whole time) that they were going to Vienna, where they would live in a nice apartment Boris had already procured. What he hadn't told Valery, is that he had a surprise planned for the two of them before they got to their new home.

Going through Valery's disorganized drawers, he found what what he had been looking for shoved way in the back. Valery's old swimming trunks! Who knew when Valery had last taken the time to go to the swimming pool located in this part of Moscow? No matter, they would come in handy soon enough.

Only forty minutes later, they were hurrying down a side street to Boris' car. Boris walked through the falling snow easily, but if he hadn't kept a hand on Valery's arm, the scientist would have probably fallen at least a half dozen times. Finally they reached the car and, placing Sasha's carrier in the back seat, they set off. Boris had removed the blanket from around the carrier so Sasha could look out the window, and now, seeing Valery yawning tiredly, he handed him the blanket. "Sleep, Valery, we have a long drive ahead of us."

Given the weather, there was little to no traffic. At the border checkpoint, Boris flashed his party badge showing his status, and was waved through without a problem. Heading west through the gradually tapering snowstorm, he drove him and Valery towards freedom.

To be continued...


	2. A Mysterious Destination

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Boris and Valery stop off for a holiday on their way to Vienna and a new life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter of Climate Change, a long time coming.
> 
> I love maps, so I had a lot of time trying to figure out what route Boris and Valery might have taken. They didn't necessarily travel in a straight line, however, as they had to stick to the safer routes.

Valery hadn't realized how very tired he was until he woke some ten hours later. Rubbing his sore neck, he peered blearily around at the passing landscape. "Wherever are we, Boris?"

"We're in Ukraine." Boris rumbled, a note of pride in his voice at being in his homeland.

"What?! Boris, the radiation!"

"Rest easy, my Valera! We're in the farthest eastern portion of Ukraine. I'm not going to endanger us. Besides, this part of the country, is sparsely populated for the most part if we stay clear of Lviv. The less people we run into, the better, although I have many friends here. I was born in Debal'tseve in western Ukraine, but my early years of work after leaving the military had me travel extensively. If we happen to run into trouble, we should be able to find one of my friends to help us."

Valery nodded, satisfied for the moment. He loved hearing about Boris' life before they had met. Every little thing he learned about the man just made him love Boris all the more. Still...

"Aren't we veering further south than we should be if we're headed to Vienna?"

Boris chuckled and shook his head. "Nothing escapes that steel trap of a mind, does it Valera?", he teased affectionately. "However, not only did I choose this route for it's relatively low risk, but we will be taking a slight detour before heading to Vienna."

A raised eyebrow from Valery showed what he thought of this statement. What was Boris talking about? Shouldn't they be getting to Vienna as quickly as possible so as to establish themselves?

"Where, Boris? Where are we going?"

"Well, Valery, I guess you'll just have to wait and see." Boris knew Valery would not rest until he figured out their destination, but Boris had decided that it was good for the scientist not to always know everything. Besides, they had a long drive ahead of them. The mystery would help occupy Valery's mind.

And Boris wanted to surprise Valery. From what he had garnered from their talking about their lives before Chernobyl, it didn't sound like Valery had ever really taken a real vacation. Oh, maybe the occasional weekend at a colleague's dacha, where no doubt Valery spent the whole time inside, his nose in a book. But not a real vacation. Besides, he wasn't quite sure how Valery would feel about their unexpected layover, so why not put off the revealing of it until the last possible moment?

___________________________

They found a small inn later that day and decided to rest overnight. Boris needed a break from driving, and Valery's neck had suffered enough from him trying to sleep while the car jounced along the road. And Boris could hardly let Valery drive since Valery didn't know where they were headed.

The next day dawned bright and clear. The two of them sat enjoying a hearty breakfast while Boris consulted his road maps. Already he had noticed Valery's appetite improving and Boris felt his spirits reviving to match those of his friend. Poor Valery, hounded for so long and separated from his love. And Boris, sick with worry and longing to see Valery, never knowing when the scientist might succumb to despair. They both needed this.

The morning provided a lovely drive, Boris and Valery spending the time sharing more of their pasts with each other. After lunch it clouded up, however, and soon it was raining fairly hard. Valery slowly drifted off while Boris drove resolutely on. 

There were no good places to stop in this area, so Boris drove through the night, occasionally parking the car to get out and walk around to keep himself awake. All the while, a snoring Valery slept blissfully in the car, unaware of everything.

The next morning Valery finally woke up to the sound of Sasha meowing to be fed. Sasha liked to stick to a schedule; it didn't matter to her what country they were in, she only knew it was time to eat according to her own personal time zone. 

After a small break to take care of Sasha, they continued driving for a while before Valery suddenly sat up straight and shouted, "Boris! What have you done?"

He so alarmed Boris, that Boris had to pull over on the shoulder of the road and wait for his heart to start beating normally again. "Valery, is there a reason you are determined to shorten my life span still more?"

Valery smiled apologetically. By now, he and Boris had fully accepted their fate, and could speak easily about it. "But Boris, that sign just said ten kilometres to Zagreb! That's in Croatia!"

"So?"

"Boris, I'm sorry, and I don't mean to question you..."

"Because you've never done that since I met you."

Valery swatted playfully at Boris, blushing a bit to remember how argumentative he had always been with Boris at Chernobyl. 

"No, but listen! I'm sorry Boris, but we're way too far south! At this rate we'll end up in Italy!"

"I'm sorry, Valera, but you're just going to have to trust me." And that's all that Boris would say, continuing to drive along the same route as before.

______________________________

Valery's puzzlement only grew as they traveled through Slovenia, and eventually into Italy. Boris just kept on driving. If they could continue at this pace, they could be in Rimini, a small town in San Marino, by evening.

Finally, about 7 p.m., they pulled up to a small inn located near the beaches in Rimini. Valery got out and gaped at the beautiful panorama. "Boris! It's...its..." For once, Valery was actually speechless.

Boris came up and put his arm around Valery's shoulders. "Do you like it, Valera?"

Valery nodded, actually moved to tears at this place that Boris had brought him to. "Borja," he breathed, "I love it! I've never been anywhere like this in my whole life! But what happened to Vienna?"

"We'll get there eventually, Valery, and you and I will find work and live out our lives together. But all this," Boris flung his arm out to encompass the beach and surrounding landscape, "all this is for us to enjoy. We've earned this, you and I."

Valery wrapped his arms around Boris, not caring who might be watching. "Thank you, Borja! Thank you for this!"

Boris suddenly found a grain of sand or something was irritating his eyes, for they wouldn't stop watering. When he spoke next, his voice was more raspy than usual, and he had to clear his throat several times. "What's say we grab an early supper, then take a walk on that beach?"

The moon shone down on the deserted beach later that evening, the waves softly rolling in. Two solitary figures walked along the sand, leaning into each other and holding hands. There in Rimini, nobody followed them. No one cared what they did or why they were walking so closely together. It was just the two of them, the moon and the surf.

To be continued...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those of you anxiously awaiting Valery and Boris' day at the beach, hang in there! This chapter went much longer than I expected, and I liked how it ended with the two of them walking on the beach. So I decided to leave the fun beach day for the next chapter.


	3. "It's the equivalent of a chest x-ray!"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Boris introduces Valery to a day at the beach.

Valery awoke the next morning to bright sunshine coming through the white muslin curtains. He stretched luxuriously in the large bed he and Boris had shared the night before, instinctively reaching over for Boris. But Boris must have risen already, which was really no surprise. The man habitually rose at dawn, citing his military conditioning the one time Valery had asked him about it.

Valery smiled as he became aware of Boris' tuneless humming coming from the bathroom. No matter how many times he'd woken up in Boris' bed, he never tired of being a silent observer of Boris' morning routine. Soon Boris would emerge from the bathroom, having already showered, and dressed to the hilt. He would notice Valery watching him and stride over to affectionately kiss him, while teasing him about lazing about in bed. Valery would laugh and grudgingly get out of bed, heading to the bathroom while Boris playfully smacked his ample ass.

Caught up in his happy memories of other mornings, Valery was shocked when things didn't go as expected. Of course Boris might not be expected to wear a three piece suit on their holiday, and even his sweater vest might be a bit warm for this weather, but this was not at all what Valery had envisioned!

Boris strode out of the bathroom in nothing but his swim trunks and an button-down shirt that was barely closed, the third button being the only one performing its duty. Valery couldn't look away, drinking in the sight of Boris like a man dying of thirst in the desert. Of course he'd seen Boris naked any number of times, but this! Somehow the scantily clad Boris was an even more seductive sight. Still stunned, Valery watched as Boris took a large towel and slung it over his shoulder, then approached the bed.

"Wake up lazy bones! We've got to get to the beach early before it gets too crowded!"

Valery sleepily blinked at Boris. "The beach, Boris? I'd much rather walk on the beach in the evening when it's cooler!"

Boris laughed. "I think you and I should take a swim."

Valery pouted. "It's early and I'm tired!" _And you're not getting me in swim trunks, even if I had brought mine with me!_

Boris looked at Valery with an amused but stern look. "We're taking a swim."

Valery made to dress as normally, but Boris would have none of it. 'We're swimming, Valery. You can't wear a suit!"

"Well, I don't have any swim trunks with me, Boris, so I just thought I'd walk down with you and keep you company while you have a...." Valery's voice drifted off as Boris produced swim trunks from the bottom of Valery's suitcase.

"Er...well, would you look at that? How did they get in there?" Valery stuttered, then suddenly peered at Boris suspiciously. "You! You were packing for me while I gathered up Sasha's things!"

Boris shrugged in acknowledgement. "So, now you have no excuse, Valera. Now get changed."

Valery went into the bathroom to perform his morning ablutions and emerged shortly after, looking down self-consciously. No matter how many times Boris reassured him and told him he preferred Valery as he was, he never could truly believe it. And now Boris wanted him to leave the room like this? There would be people at the beach, all of them no doubt wondering how a chubby awkward man with glasses had ended up with the Adonais that walked beside him.

"Can't I wear a shirt, at least, Borja?" Valery pleaded.

Boris thought a moment. "Well, it might be good to have one to help keep the sun off, I suppose. That's why I'm wearing mine."

Valery rushed to put a shirt on, but when he went to button it up, Boris stopped him.

"Oh no, Valera! I've told you how beautiful you are, and today I want to show you off." No argument would persuade him otherwise; in fact, Valery had no doubt that Boris would rip the buttons off his shirt if he tried again to fasten them.

A towel was procured for Valery, who started to drape it over his shoulders to hide his physique as much as possible. One look from Boris stopped him dead in his tracks and he had to be content with carrying his towel over one shoulder like Boris. 

Boris grabbed up a couple of more items and held the door open for a very reluctant Valery. "Come on, Valerka. The sun won't bite."

Valery walked slowly behind Boris. When they got outside the hot sun hit him full force, suddenly making him glad his torso was open to the slight breeze. Suddenly a swim sounded pretty good, and at least he could submerge himself in the water. Not that he was a good swimmer. Years of shyness about his appearance and social interaction in general meant that he hadn't been to the local pool much, and certainly not enough to pick up the knack of swimming. Well, no matter, he could just wade out a short distance.

Once they arrived at the beach, Boris quickly found a prime spot and they laid their towels side by side to save their spot. "What shall we do first, Valery?" Boris had removed his shirt and stood looking at Valery expectantly.

_Oh no! He expects me to take my shirt off too! Well, here goes nothing!_

Valery tossed his shirt on the towels and waited. No laughter sounded from the other people on the beach. As a matter of face, nobody seemed to be paying him any mind...except Boris, who looked at Valery's body in appreciation.

"That's better! Now, how about a swim?"

Valery was really hot by now, so he quickly agreed, hotfooting it across the sand to where the waves gently lapped at the shore. He stuck one toe in the water gingerly and gasped. The water was cold! Of course, it was only late spring, so the sun would not have had time to warm the water as much as later in the summer. He would have to take this slow....

He gave a shout as a playful shove from behind sent him sprawling into the shallow water. Shivering at the shock of the cold water, he turned at the sound of Boris laughing at him.

"What?! Were you going to tiptoe your way in, Valera? The sun would be going down before you were properly in the water!"

Valery noticed Boris was still standing ankle deep in the cold water. With a glint in his eye, he sent a huge splash of water cascading over Boris, who spluttered in surprise. The next moment Valery squealed and clumsily tried to run through the water as Boris growled and charged at him. He got about three steps before Boris caught him and dunked him.

"So you want to play, eh?" Boris suddenly submerged under the water, lost from Valery's sight. 

Valery spun around, trying to spot where Boris had gone, but the churned up water from their wrestling made it impossible to see. When a half minute went by, he began to worry. Could Boris have hit his head somehow and lost consciousness? He began to walk further out, the water slowly rising. He was keenly aware that he couldn't swim, but he had to find Boris!

Then...something had a hold of his leg! What was it? Visions of dangerous sea creatures flashed through his head. Sharks didn't come this close into shore, did they? But there was no pain like a shark bite would have caused. Before he could conjure any more visions of giant squids and the like, he was yanked under the water's surface. He fought valiantly, but whatever had him was very strong. Just when he thought he couldn't hold his breath any longer, he was heaved to the surface, gasping for air. 

But he wasn't out of danger. Whatever it was still had him tight about the waist. He spun around, trying to fight, and found it was a laughing Boris. He pouted and tried to pull away.

"No, no, Valery! I've caught you and I'm keeping you!" Boris playfully slung Valery over his shoulder and carried him back up to their spot. Giving in to Boris' antics, Valery giggled even while struggling to free himself. Finally they both dropped to the towels, gasping and laughing companionably.

Boris, still catching his breath, couldn't stop laughing. "The look on your face, Valery! You really thought some creature had grabbed you, didn't you?"

Valery stuck his tongue out at Boris. "I did! And I was worried that you were drowning and I couldn't find you."

Boris stopped laughing and wrapped his arm around Valery. "Always ready to face danger to save others, aren't you my love?"

Valery blushed, all his exasperation forgotten. "Especially for you, Borja! Always and ever!" he proclaimed fiercely.

They sat silently enjoying each other's company for a few more moments. Boris suddenly snapped his fingers. "I almost forgot!" Grabbing a bottle of something, he told Valery to turn and sit facing away from him.

"What is that, Boris?" Valery asked.

"Sunscreen. You don't want to get a bad burn, do you? And all those beautiful freckles!"

"Oh, please, Boris, I hardly think I need that with all the radiation exposure we've already suffered." Valery was suddenly nervous. It was one thing to have Boris touching him in the privacy of the bedroom, but he wasn't sure how his administrations would affect him here, in public.

"Valery, you told me once that radiation has a cumulative effect, right? So, the more you take in, even if it's from the sun's rays, the more dangerous it can be to your health. So no arguments. Besides," and here he leaned in close to Valery's ear, "you can return the favor when I'm done."

Whatever sun Valery had already been exposed to did nothing to lessen the blush that spread over his face. Suddenly he couldn't resist the thought, and presented his back to Boris, eager for him to begin. And it was wonderful! The cool lotion on his hot skin, the wonderful smell, and Boris' hands slowly rubbing the lotion in, were almost too much for Valery. But he fought to contain himself. He wanted so badly to touch Boris, here and now in this public place.

Next it was Boris' turn, and he likewise spun around to present his wide strong back to Valery. Valery had to get up on his knees to properly reach Boris' shoulders, which were already starting to redden. Entranced by his task, Valery dreamily rubbed in the lotion while Boris sighed in pleasure. Then they both collapsed onto their towels and laid there half dozing.

Valery turned sleepily to Boris. "So, what else do people do at the beach, Boris?"

Boris, stifling a yawn, said, "I don't know, Valerka." He sat up a moment and looked around. There were a number of people playing volleyball. Hmm...nudging Valery, he showed him the game going on.

"Hah! Are you kidding, Boris? Did you want me to break my ankle or something? Besides, volleyball and glasses aren't compatible." At Boris' querulous look, he explained. "When I was a student, we had to play volleyball in our physical fitness class. Do you know how many times I got hit in the face? And how much that hurts when you're wearing glasses? Plus, I managed to break a pair or two that way. No thanks!"

Boris nodded, still looking around for another idea. Some kids were playing some distance off, taking it in turn to bury each other in the sand, each victim then being subjected to all sorts of torment.

Valery sighed, rolled over on his back, and began snoring blissfully. Boris glanced over and realized that he and Valery had only put sunscreen on their backs and shoulders. Valery was going to get a bad burn sleeping that way, unless...Boris looked back over at the kids and a small smile crept onto his lips.

\----------------------

Valery drifted peacefully, half in and half out of sleep. Visions of the lovely day with Boris filled his half-waking mind and he smiled to himself. After a while, though, he noticed that his face was getting really warm. 

_I should probably put some sunscreen on._

The strange thing was that only his face felt hot, almost as if the rest of his body was in the shade or something. 

_Perhaps Boris went and got us one of those beach umbrellas, but he might have covered my face too._

Deciding he had better sit up and apply some sunscreen, he went to move but found he couldn't. At all. Well, to be accurate, he could wiggle his feet and move his head and neck, but the rest of his body was immobilized.

_What the....? Maybe Boris had rolled over and was laying on top of him?_

But even if that was the case, he should be able to move some, Maybe he was still dreaming. Forcing himself to wake up completely, he opened his eyes to see Boris sitting beside him and looking down at him bemusedly.

"Boris, what? Why can't I move? What did you do?" Craning his neck, Valery could just see that his body was buried in a huge mound of sand. He couldn't see his feet for the pile of sand in front of him, but he knew they must be free since he could move them.

Boris indicated with his head that Valery should look to his left where the kids were still playing at burying each other. One of the kids had started tickling the victim's feet, which made Boris raise an eyebrow at Valery in response.

"Boris! Boris! No, Boris!"

Boris got up and sat back down by Valery's feet. He wiggled his fingers above Valery's toes, threatening dire consequences.

"Boris! Please, I'm begging you!"

For a few moments, Boris just enjoyed watching Valery's reactions as he mimed tickling his feet, but then he began playfully running his fingers up and down Valery's soles. Valery exploded with laughter, begging Boris to stop whenever he managed to get a word out. Boris finally took mercy on Valery and began digging him out, laughing at how easily his love could be rendered helpless.

Free at last, Valery glared at Boris even while a smile escaped his lips. "Not funny, Boris! And now I have sand everywhere! And I mean everywhere!"

Boris took his towel and began using it to gently brush off the sand that now coated Valery's body. Valery sighed at the feel of the soft towel on his skin and relaxed into Boris' touch. But when he finally stood up again, he made a face.

"Boris, the sand is in my trunks too. It's everywhere, Boris, do you understand? Everywhere!"

Boris couldn't help but laugh, earning another glare from Valery. Leaning in, he whispered, "Than when we get back to the room, I solemnly vow to personally remove every last grain of sand that remains!"

Valery blushed and smiled bashfully at the thought. His demeanor changed in a flash, however, and before Boris could react, he had grabbed a handful of sand, pulled the waistband of Boris' swim trunks away from his body, and dumped the sand in. "Two can play at that game, my Borja!" he declared triumphantly, watching as Boris tried to shake out the sand.

"Perhaps we should start back, Valera!" Boris said in mock anger, but secretly looking forward to the rest of their evening.

The End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Adonais, if you've never heard the name before, was a youth noted for his beauty in Greek mythology. He was favored by Aphrodite, the goddess of love. Boris is Adonais as far as Valery is concerned.


End file.
